


Unmasked

by DasChaosweib



Series: Kings of Kadara [1]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Abduction, Blackmail, Complete, Dark, M/M, Original Character(s), Rape, Rescue, Sadistic Character, Sarcastic Reyes, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence, Torture, Violence, finished work, happy end, psychopathic character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:15:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DasChaosweib/pseuds/DasChaosweib
Summary: Reyes Vidal gets abducted by a gang. He doesn't really understand why, if they wanted him as a smuggler they could have asked. However, this is not so much about him as about his connection to the Pathfinder...Unfortunately, his sarcasm is not at all compatible with his kidnapper's obsession for control and discipline.Please read Chapter Notes for Trigger Warnings!
Relationships: Male Ryder | Scott/Reyes Vidal
Series: Kings of Kadara [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789876
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. A bitter Pill

Reyes felt dizzy. The room around him was shifting and his head hurt. With his eyes closed, he tried to piece together what happened. He'd been at Tartarus drinking, obviously. Massani had been with him. At some point, he’d gotten up to get some fresh air, feeling happily drunk at that point. He even thought about calling Ryder - which he only did when he was drunk enough to actually admit that he missed him, because Reyes liked playing hard to get. Besides, he didn’t want to bother him, the Pathfinder had enough weight on his shoulders and he would be damned if he added to it. He was content with small massages and unregular visits Scott payed him whenever he was near Kadara.

The cold air had hit him like a wall and suddenly the alcohol must have kicked, ‘cause he remembered suddenly feeling sick and his surroundings shifting.

With a wince he tried to pry his eyes open. Wherever he was, it was dark around him. He hoped to be back in his room, that Massani found him and dragged his sorry ass inside, in Kadara it was dangerous to black out in the open.

That hope was shattered, as he tried shifting his body a bit. He was laying on something hard and realized it was a hard floor. Did he get robbed and dragged into some side alley? If so, he was lucky to be alive.

Grunting he sat up, blinking against his blurred vision.

“He’s waking up”

He jolted back, his back hitting something hard behind him. He was laying on the floor of a shuttle, to the feet of four men sitting around him. One of them, a Krogan, was pointing a gun at him.

“Easy there”, he smiled.

Reyes froze. His hands were bound behind his back. Then his brain caught up with the situation and anger kicked in. “What the fuck-”, he started but got shut off as one guy - a man with red hair and a ragged scar over his cheek - grabbed him by his hair with one hand, pushing something into his mouth with the other.

Swearing he twisted his head to get free of his grasp and spat it out immediately, staring at the small pill on the dark ground.

“Who the fuck are you?”, he growled, trying to sit up, but the gun now pointing between his eyes had him rethink his action.

The Krogan with the gun gave him a bored once over. “That’s unimportant for now. Take the pill”

Reyes pressed his lips into a thin line and glared at them. His mind was putting two and two together quickly and he was pretty sure that the pill he was supposed to take was to blame that he was here to begin with. Someone somehow managed to drug his drink back at Tartarus and out of dumb luck it kicked in as soon as he left the Club. His mind still felt foggy and it was hard to focus, but he forced himself to concentrate and consider his possibilities.

Taking the pill was out of question, he needed a clear mind if he wanted to get out of this situation quickly. First, he needed common ground to negotiate, though he didn’t recognize the uniform those guys wore, thus he didn’t know their motivation. They didn’t look like what was left of the Outcasts though, and if they were they probably would have killed him already. No one knew of his identity as the Charlatan, but it was known that he had been involved in the Death of Sloane Kelley.

Carefully, Reyes looked around. The shuttle was run down but for Kadara standards still on the better side. The four men around him wore stern expressions and their weapons had seen combat but were in good shape. He concluded, that it wasn’t their first abduction. Probably old, experienced members of one or several criminal groups on Kadara decided to make their own thing. Either they were not in the game for long yet, thus the seemingly newish weapons or whoever ran them had resources to keep them equipped.

The grip in his hair tightened, breaking of his trail of thought. Times up, he’d have to improvise. Reyes was only lucky that he was quite skilled with his words. The Angara didn’t call him Shena for nothing.

“There is no need for that. Besides the fact that I am clearly outnumbered, I am also very willing to negotiate. You want something from me, we can work something out. There is no need for all that drama”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, my friend”, the Krogan with the gun said. “Boss’s order. You don’t take this, we’ll make this a lot worse for you”

The second Krogan now pointed his gun at him. Reyes clenched his jaw. He could pretend to swallow it. The pill was small enough that it would be easy to hide it under his tongue or in his cheek. If he pretended to fall asleep afterwards, he could get rid of it.

With a glare, he opened his mouth and the guy pushed the pill in. Before he could hide it as planned however, the redhead grabbed his hair again and forced a bottle of water against his lips. He choked and tried to twist his head away, but he was hold in place until he drank almost half of it to make sure the pill went down.

When he was released, he coughed, realizing that the pill was in fact gone.

“Good. Don’t want you to make a scene before we’re there”

It didn’t take long for Reyes to get that drunk feeling again and the faces in front of him blurred. He really had to lie down, he thought, right before blacking out again.


	2. Imprisoned

When he woke, it took him some seconds to remember what happened. He was surrounded by darkness only interrupted by small rays of light coming through holes in the stone above him. His heart sank, when his blurred vision focused on the bars in front of him and his hope that he only had some weird alcoholic dream died. 

He was in some kind of cave cell and it was cold. The air smelled of mold and water. Through the dim light he could see half of the cave was filled with water. He called once and his voice echoed from the stone. There was no answer. He wondered, if there were other prisoners elsewhere or if he was the only one.

He tried to recall the faces of the guys in the shuttle, but he couldn’t focus. His head hurt, his stomach turned and the floor shifted. Groaning, he lay down again, his head sinking against the cold, wet floor.

* * *

When he regained consciousness again, he was relieved to realize his head felt clear and the nausea was gone. His mouth tasted funny though, he felt freezing cold and his muscles stiff, but that he could live with. He sat up, rubbed his face and took in his surroundings. His weapons were gone, of course. Even at Tartarus he always carried at least one Pistol and a knife. They also took his bullet proof vest. The shirt and trousers he wore offered little protection on their own.

The bars in front of him were thick and not too rusty. Given the dampness of this place, they either weren’t here for long or were made from some metal that was insensitive towards water. Though he didn’t expect it to work, he rattled at the cell door a few times, only validating that it was in fact very sturdy. 

He huffed, continuing to look around. The cell was built in solid stone, the lake that filled half of the cave leaked through the bars covering some of his cell floor. He wondered if those caves flooded from time to time and quickly pushed this thought aside.

He settled at the floor and stared into the dim darkness, listening to the sound of water drops falling from the stone. Someone would get him soon, he guessed, bringing him to whoever that “Boss” was the Krogan mentioned.

He wondered, what they wanted from him, whether this had something to do with his smuggler jobs or his involvement with the Collective. As the smuggler Reyes Vidal he tried to give himself as impartial as possible. And independent party, he used to say. He took jobs from almost everyone, which gave him the advantage of knowing almost every potential rival there was on Kadara and at least partially what they were on about.

Maybe he pissed someone of by working for the wrong group? But then again, he didn’t do any important jobs recently, only small things, at least in his eyes. Maybe they wanted to convince him to obtain or smuggle something, but then again they could just have hired him. Except they expected him to reject their offer.

It didn't occur to him, that he could be here as the Charlatan, because first it was impossible they knew and second the more he was convinced he was nothing more than the Smuggler Reyes Vidal the less likely he could let something slip in case they planned to torture him.

He went through torture once, back in the Milky Way, he could do it again.

* * *

Time went on but no one came. In here, with barely any sunlight coming in, there was no way to know how long he was in here already. Maybe only two hours, maybe more.

After what felt like an eternity, the light coming from the ceiling darkened and finally vanished. Nighttime, maybe.

With night arriving, he could hear the sound of flapping wings and realized there were bats in here. Or whatever bat-like monstrosities Andromeda held. He couldn’t see them, which made him skittish. Small flying things he couldn’t see always made him skittish. He moved back in his cell until his back hit solid stone. He sat against it and stared into the darkness. After a while, he decided they probably wouldn’t come collect him during the night and that he should try to get some sleep. A tired mind dealt badly with stress. It was easier said than done. Finding a somewhat comfortable position on the stone floor was impossible and the air bit cold into his naked arms. Was it cold enough to freeze to death? His thoughts ran circles in his mind.

He still could only assume why he was here. He wondered, if anyone already noticed he was gone and whether Keema searched for him or not. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know how long he was already gone. One day at least. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for a day or two, though he always informed Keema about it. As one of the few to know his secret, he trusted her. She ran the Collectives when he was gone for longer than two days and would take over if something was to happen to him. So, he had to inform her whenever he planned on disappearing from the surface so she knew what to do. As distant as she acted, he knew she’d be worried if he didn’t call in.

Would she tell Scott?

He pressed his eyes shut, shoving the thought away.

* * *

When he forced himself to get up from his uncomfortable bed after little more than a restless nap, the light started to barely seep through the ceiling again. They would probably come get him soon.

The dim light became brighter but it never managed to fully light the whole cave. Reyes wasn’t sure how big it was, and right now he didn’t care. No one was coming. His body was shaking from the cold. His throat felt dry and his head started to hurt. At first, the water in his cell was a relieve, as it meant they couldn’t let him die of thirst here. But soon he realized that the lake was the same stinking dump like everywhere on Kadara and that former prisoners probably used it to relieve themselves, so he resisted the burning thirst in his throat. His stomach was growling.

He knew they probably kept him waiting to strain his nerves and he focused on keeping his cool. The suspicion that he was dealing with professionals grew stronger.

When the light darkened again - the second night starting to take over - Reyes started to get irritated. They could barely have forgotten him. The longer he waited, the more restless he got. Which was probably what they intended. He tried to keep calm, to concentrate, go through different scenarios. If it was information they needed, he could bullshit something together. He was good at spinning a story that was close enough to the truth and still unusable. If they needed him to do something, he could promise his loyalty and get his revenge later.

With a loud bang a door got pushed open and the light flooding in blinded him. Reyes startled back. Hands grabbed his arms and he blinked frantically to adjust his vision, while fighting them off.

His arms got twisted on his back, his shoulders met the stonewall hard and he felt handcuffs close around his wrists and something wrapping around his ankles. When he looked down, he saw a piece of solid rope.

“Boss wants to see you”

Reyes recognized the voice from the shuttle, though he couldn’t remember the face. It was the Krogan that had pointed the gun in his face, who'd done the talking back then, too. He didn’t recognize the other man.

“About time”, he grunted, trying to ignore the beating of his heart. He got pushed through a door he hadn’t seen before, it was imbedded into the stone. He nearly fell, only able to make small steps. So the cell door was only decorative, or was the stone door built in afterwards?

He tried to still his mind. What ever he was here for, now he would find out.


	3. The Wolf's Den

Reyes was led into a spacious cave and wondered what rock formation he was under. He knew almost every part of Kadara, but the entire tunnel system he was led through was unknown to him. It was even bigger and more confusing than the Collective’s hideout, that he still kept up and running even after Sloane’s death. It was also weirdly bright considering that they were underground, and far underground most likely, judging by the temperature.

Was it possible that he wasn’t on Kadara anymore? That they brought him somewhere else?

He tried to take in all the information he could see. For how big the cave was, there was barely anything in it. In fact, he could only see two modul houses in the back of the cave and some creates. This either meant they set up here not long ago or this was not meant to be something permanent.

Then he froze in his step, realizing why this cave felt so off. His gaze wandered upwards. The cave was so bright, because the ceiling above was not solid stone but tons of ice. He was on Voeld. The temperature wasn’t that cold because he was so deep underground, but because he stood on a frozen rock.

“Move”, the man behind him grumbled and pushed him. Reyes stumbled some steps forward shooting him a disgruntled look.

They stopped in front of a ledge. On the stone sat a man in his mid forties with black hair and graying temples. His face was very prominent and angular, highlighted by a black carefully trimmed beard. There was some grey in it, too. His bright blue eyes were intense in an uncomfortable way. He could have been handsome, if his eyes wouldn’t scream psychopath. Though the way his legs dangled from the edge of the stone seemed somewhat casual, the man reminded Reyes of a king in his throne room, the way he sat on his ledge, towering over them, overlooking every corner of the cave.

For some seconds there was only silence as they watched each other. Then, a smile that didn’t reach the other’s eyes broke the man’s stern features.

“My name is Wolf”, the man said, his voice a dark tremor.

“Vidal”, Reyes automatically responded. “Though I assume you know that”

“Of course”, the man smiled down at him. “Reyes Vidal, Kadara’s most infamous smuggler”

Reyes bowed his head mockingly. “So that’s why I am here, yes? Usually I’m getting hired in a less dramatic fashion”

“That I imagine”, Wolf smiled. “But I wouldn’t bother to go through so much effort, just to hire you”

Reyes felt his features harden. Wolf was a very untransparent guy and he decided to tread very carefully for now. The man had an aura of danger surrounding him and Reyes wasn’t willing to test if it was only show just yet.

“What’s worth the effort then?”

Wolf tilted his head slightly. The smile was still not leaving his face and the way those ice blue eyes seemed to scan him made Reyes straighten his back and stare right back. “The Pathfinder”, he finally said, leaning forth a bit his arms resting on his thighs.

“The Pathfinder?”, Reyes scoffed though the cold now clung to his chest. “And what do I have to do with the Pathfinder?”

The eyes of the man squinted a tad, not because of annoyance or even uncertainty but excitement. He was enjoying this cat and mouse game, Reyes realized.

“I imagine quite a lot, considering you both killed Kadara’s last leader”, he replied casually.

Reyes frowned. Was Wolf a sympathizer? Had he been with the Outcasts before? If so, he was in trouble.

“I’ve worked with him”, Reyes admitted slowly, weighing each word with care. “So what, you want me to get an autograph?”

The man chuckled, a deep rumble that the stone and ice seemed to join in. The hair in his neck stood. His laughter turned into a growl. “Barely”

Silence spread again as they overserved at each other.

Then Wolf leaned back, got to his feet and came towards him. He had a limb in his right leg. “I don’t need anything from you. You see, I need your Pathfinder to do something for me. Something, only a Pathfinder can do” He now stood in front of him and Reyes noticed he was half a head bigger than him and his shoulders broad. Wolf was not a man of words only but combat and action. He still wore the cold smile on his face. “Something, he’d never agree on unless his boyfriend’s well being depends on it”

Reyes scoffed again. “Boyfriend? Maybe you should check your information source”

Reyes didn’t let any of his inner turmoil show. He’d always been good at separating private and business in his head and right now he was the smuggler Reyes Vidal, who worked with the Pathfinder a few times and thus was merely involved superficially.

While they didn’t bother to make sure they were never seen together, they weren’t especially open with their relationship. The Nexus would hardly approve of the Pathfinder being involved with a smuggler from Kadara Port and Reyes didn’t want him to get into trouble because of that.

Wolf’s Omnitool plinged. He looked at it and a gleeful smile brightened his face. “Well, I’ll know in a few seconds, right?” Then aimed at his men: “Make sure he doesn’t interrupt. Children should keep quiet when adults talk”

Just when he was about to protest, the Krogan hold him in place while another man put duct tape over his mouth. The Krogan let him go, pressing his gun between his shoulder blades.

“Now you behave”, Wolf smiled and placed his index over his mouth to indicate him to be quiet as he picked up a phone call. “Pathfinder, so glad to finally speak to you”

There was silence. Then Scott’s voice echoed through the cave.


	4. The Pathfinder

“Well, I couldn’t help it. Your ominous massage had me curious. I am a sucker for anonymous texts that scream ‘creepy’”, Scott replied.

Wolf rumbled his growling laugh and once again he reminded Reyes of a predator on the hunt. Reyes tried to keep his face neutral. Wolf was watching him, his eyes glued to his face. 

There were a few seconds of silence. “I feel at a disadvantage. Who am I talking with?”, Ryder asked and he could hear the distrust in his words.

“Ah, pardon my manners. My name is Wolf”, Wolf answered. It was either not his real name or he didn’t care about keeping his identity secret.

“Wolf”, Ryder repeated. It sounded sceptical. “You said you had some information about a friend of mine?”

“Reyes Vidal. You know him, right?”

There was a pause. Then a small chuckle. “You’ve ever been to Kadara? Everyone knows Reyes Vidal” Reyes felt his chest tighten. He could hear caution behind the casualness in his voice.

The man hummed in reply, lacily walking over to Reyes. “While this may be true, I heard you know him especially well. That you’re almost… joined by the hip, so to say. You see, that rumor had me thinking you might want him back?”

Another pause. “What do you mean?”

Wolf ran his hand through Reyes’ hair. Reyes was taken aback by the sudden invasion of personal space. With a snarl he jerked his head away. A small smile tugged at the other man’s lips. “Such a pretty toy you got yourself. I wondered why you chose such a lowlife, the Pathfinder could do better, I thought. Slowly I begin to understand why” Reyes didn’t want the words to sting, but they did. He really wanted to punch him, were it not for the gun between his shoulder blades and his hands bound behind his back.

“Your bluffing”

“I am not. He is sitting right in front of me, his pretty face all worried”

Silence. Then Scott chuckled. "I don't know where you got your information but I think you got something wrong. Reyes Vidal means nothing to me"

Wolf kept silent, eyes still fixed on Reyes. He glared back. Yeah, Scott wasn't that stupid as to-

The smile returned to Wolf's face. "Oh no, I am deeply sorry. So embarrassing to have bothered you with something so unimportant. You know what, I make it up to you" Wolf drew his gun and pointed it at Reyes face. "Let me rid Kadara of one more criminal for you, it doesn't matter, right?" The sound of releasing the safety seemed to echo through the cave and Reyes pressed his eyes shut. His heart drummed hard in his chest.

"Wait!" Scott's voice echoed through the cave.

Wolf's face lightened with victory. "Not so unimportant after all, huh?", he mocked.

“Let me talk to him”

The guy chuckled. “Patience, dear Pathfinder. First I need to make sure we’re seeing eye to eye”

Reyes pressed his lips into a small line. The chatter could only mean, that he had no worries whatsoever that they could track down the source of the call. On the other hand, he probably didn’t know about Sam’s possibilities, so the longer he kept talking the better. Ryder hopefully came to the same conclusion. 

“Alright. Shoot”

“Not so fast. I will give you a call in a few days with instructions. I want them fulfilled within a week. Do that, you get a drop off where you can pick up your pretty boy”

Ryder cursed on the other side of the line. “I want your promise he won’t get harmed”

Wolf's eyes locked with Reyes’. “Well, that’s up to you and him, isn’t it? You both behave, no one gets hurt” Reyes got the warning behind it.

There was another pause. “I want to hear him. You could still be bluffing”

Wolf’s smile didn’t falter. “Wait a second” Reyes saw him putting his Omnitool on mute, before approaching him. 

“When you say one word I don't like I'll hang up and you don't get to talk with him again. Got it?”

Reyes glared up at the gun Wolf still pointed at his face as if the one in his back wasn’t enough. He was about to flip him off, but the possibility to talk with Ryder had him swallow his pride. He nodded.

A dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he ripped the duct tape off. Reyes hissed. With a warning glance in his eyes, Wolf unmuted.

It took him some effort to force himself to speak into the tense silence. “Hey Ryder” He tried to make it sound casual.

He could hear a sharp intake of breath followed by a few seconds of silence. “Your first words addressed to me”, Scott finally said.

His brain needed some seconds to follow. He wanted to make sure it was him. Smart. “You look like you’re waiting for someone”, Reyes forced out, shooting a deathly glare at the other man’s smug face. 

Silence on the other end before he could hear a breathed curse. Sam had probably analysed his voice.

“Reyes, are you alright?”

Before he could answer him, Wolf walked back towards his ledge, bringing the Omnitool out of his reach. “He is. For now”

“Let me talk to him!” Reyes pressed his eyes shut. It was probably just him hearing the fear in his voice through the anger and a stabbing pain shot through his chest.

“You did. If you want to talk some more, wait for my instructions. Oh, and Pathfinder? I want this to stay between us. Someone other than you knows about this, you’ll never see your pretty pet again” He hang up. 


	5. Power Play

Everything Reyes wanted to do right now was swipe that smug expression off Wolf’s face. “I think my informant did a very good job, in fact”, Wolf continued their prior talk as if the call didn’t happen.

Reyes gritted his teeth.

“What, are you worried I won’t keep my word?”, Wolf mused. “Don’t worry. The Pathfinder will get his toy back. Once he agreed to my terms and I am done playing with it” His cruel smile send a shiver down Reyes’ spine. He knew a sadist when he saw one, and this man in front of him definitely was. 

“Those are big words for someone hiding in a cave”, Reyes spat. He was angry enough to throw his caution over board. How dare he used him against Ryder. How dare he threatened him and how dare he treated him like some cheap plaything.

Wolf's fingers tapped on the armrest of his chair while he watched him with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “And you are very mouthy. You don't know when it is time to swallow your arrogance and behave”, he replied with an annoyed frown which turned back into a smile. “But no problem, we'll fix that. I'd hate to give the Pathfinder such a bad behaved pet back for his troubles"

Reyes scoffed. "My sarcasm gets triggered by assholes, so good luck fixing that"

The smile on the other man’s face didn’t falter. “Undo his hands”, he said to one of his man and when the handcuffs got removed, Reyes face twisted in confusion. “Let me give you an introduction in how I tend to teach misbehaving pets. As you seem so eager for your first lesson, I will oblige. It will be interesting to see how long you can keep that attitude up. Undress” The bored voice echoed from the walls around him.

Reyes stared at him without moving. He was no prute, he had no problem with nudity. He stripped in front of the whole Tartarus once, just because someone said he wouldn’t. But now he felt his blood freeze.

The man tilted his head slightly, tapping his fingers impatiently on his chair. “Help him”, he ordered one of his guys next to him, who shot his boss a sour look before he came towards him.

“Touch me and you’re dead”, Reyes growled, trying to back away but with his legs bound together, there was little he could do.

The lackey barked an unimpressed laugh as he reached for him. The first hit hit its goal, the man stumbled back, shielding himself from another swing Reyes tried to land against his liver. He nearly toppled over, it was hard to keep his balance when he could barely move his feet.

A click made him freeze in his movement. “Playtime is over. I hate to repeat myself so do as I told you: Undress”

Reyes eyed the gun pointed at him with a tight expression. “You won’t. You still need me for the Pathfinder”

“Oh, I don’t mean to shoot you. But a shot to the knee? Or the shoulder?” He made a regretful ‘tsk’ sound. “Hurts pretty bad and heals nasty, too. Especially if I allow my men to treat it. Could even become something permanent”

He gritted his teeth. Quickly, he tried to determine how many people he’d have to fight with. The Krogan behind him would be a problem, also the fact that all of them were armed except for him. Besides Wolf there were five other men and women in the cave, two on the ledge flanking Wolf, three leaning against some crates, also two other Krogan by the entrance leading to the tunnel.

Putting two and two together, he was highly outnumbered and at a disadvantage. He cursed.

He could see something in Wolf’s eyes change, a clear last warning. Reyes clenched his fists. Then, with stiff movements, he pulled his shirt over his head.

Wolf leaned back a bit, keeping the gun aimed at him. “Good boy”

A growl left his throat, the icy air biting into his skin. His hands reached for his waistband then clenched into fists, shaking. He could feel the burning gaze on him.

“Go on”, Wolf smiled, shifting so Reyes eyes got drawn to the gun again.

Hate filled Reyes to the brim. He removed the rope from his ankles and with his face twisted into a hateful snarl, he pushed his trousers over his hips together with his boxer briefs angrily kicking them aside. No need extending this charade, he knew what this would come down to.

There he stood, in the middle of a huge cave, his body tense, hands clenched into fists. He didn’t try to hide behind his hands, Wolf would point his gun at him and tell him not to anyways. Instead, he kept his back straight, glaring at anyone meeting his eyes. Some of Wolf’s gang members made sneering remarks or obviously amused themselves, some of his men looked elsewhere, obviously uncomfortable.

The icy air bit into his skin, but he felt hot. He was burning from the inside, Reyes shook, out of rage and humiliation.

“Good boy. Now come here”

He couldn’t stop the growling sound forming in his throat, as one of the man attempted to push him towards the ledge. He forced himself to keep his head high despite the humiliation as he walked up the ledge with stiff steps. He wouldn’t give that Bastard the satisfaction to yield. Reyes was comfortable in his body and while the situation itself was anything but, he wouldn’t allow himself to be ashamed.

When he stood next to Wolf, his head high with a challenging glare in his eyes, the other man gave him a once over. Reyes couldn’t quite name the look in his eyes, but it sent a cold shiver down his spine. Wolf realized it and smiled.

“Kneel”

Now, that was too much. “You sick fucker-” The hit came out of nowhere, the fist met his jaw with full force. With a pained groan Reyes met the floor.

Wolf grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. Reyes couldn’t help but hiss at the pain erupting from his scalp.

“You still don’t get the situation you’re in, do you? But don’t worry. I’m willing to teach you”

Wolf pulled a knife out of his pocket and Reyes froze. There was a dangerous twinkle in the other's eyes as he longingly examined the blade before placing it on Reyes cheek. The sharp tip ran down his throat, over his collarbone to his sternum.

Wolf's Omnitool plinged.

The man's eyes stayed focused on Reyes, digging the knife into his skin until he could feel a drop of blood running down his chest. He tried not to move, his jaw clenched to not give a sound.

Then Wolf let him go. “That's it for the beginning, I think you got the message. Get him back to his cell”, he ordered. “Next time, I expect you to be more obedient”


	6. Rulebreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Graphic Descibtion of Torture

Back in his cell, he sat in a corner and tried to swallow his anger. Injuring himself by hitting against stone wouldn’t help. He'd been allowed to dress himself as soon as he’d been outside the cave, ignoring the snide remarks of the men. Reyes could deal with being ridiculed. He could deal with being pushed way past his comfort zone. He could deal with hell of a lot, if he needed to. He always managed.

He pushed the memory of ice blue eyes glued to his naked body away as soon as it came up. There were more important things. He needed to get out of here.

He sat in his cell since two days, at least judging by the total darkness that was the only indicator about time passing. The Krogan came back with a man and a woman once, had brought him a blanket and a pullover as well as some food. A frozen hostage was as bad as a starved one. Reyes didn’t try to overpower them, he was no match for a Krogan and he wasn’t stupid. Even if he managed to overpower them, get a gun and fight his way through Wolf’s gang, he’d probably get lost. He had no imagination of how big this place was and getting lost in frozen caves was as bad as anything else.

What made the waiting worse was the helplessness. It wasn't on him to end the situation. 

It would have helped if he knew he could tell them what they wanted at any moment - even if he never would. But he could. It would be his choice.

Here it wasn't. There was nothing they wanted from him, he was nothing more than a bargaining chip. A bargaining chip for the Pathfinder, which was even worse. He never wanted to be a burden and now Scott was in trouble because of him.

He could only imagine what Wolf wanted him to do, it sure as hell wasn't anything good.

Just when Reyes thought he'd have to wait for another day, the stone door opened. As expected the Krogan entered together with Scarface from the Shuttle and a very small bulky man with curly hair.

He didn't put up much of a fight as his hands got handcuffed behind his back. This time, they didn't bother to shackle his ankles, too.

His head ran in circles, when he got guided back through the tunnels. What would happen now? Did they contact Scott already, giving him instructions? What did they want from him?

“So you’re a faggot?”, Scarface asked.

Reyes shot him an unimpressed look. He’d been called worse.

“Sounded like he’s whoring himself out to the Pathfinder”, Curly said with a mean smile on his lips.

“And what does the Pathfinder want with a thug like him?”

“Nexus guys are ugly as fuck”, Curly assumed.

Scarface laughed. “What do you think, Skat?”

“Both of you talk too much”, the Krogan said.

Scarface rolled his eyes and his companion snickered. “Maybe we should give him a good fucking, ey? Used to the Pathfinder taking you? Pathfinder’s just a boy. Want to be fucked by a man?”

His nerves were already running thin and their words fed the anger inside him. He couldn’t stop the growl forming in his throat. "Shut your mouth"

“You keep that attitude up”, Scarface chuckled. “The boss likes breaking those.”

Reyes huffed. Those guys were all talk, he knew because he did it, too. Hinting at some gruel tasks one would do mostly got the victim in the right headspace, more likely to start talking without having to do any real work. Problem was that they didn’t want any information from him. He was bait. And all he could do was hope Ryder wouldn't take it.

* * *

As soon as he entered the cave, he felt himself tense and tried to cover it up by keeping his face carefully neutral, almost bored.

Wolf already greeted him with a gleeful grin. “Ah, our guest of honor”

Reyes kept his head high. “Should I bow or something?”, he mocked while - again - Wolf sat in his chair on the ledge, towering over him, overseeing the cave.

Wolf’s smile grew even bigger and the intensity those ice blue eyes observed him with sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn’t quite name the  _ something _ gleaming in them but it made his hair stand up. “Don’t give me ideas”

Reyes gave a snide huff. “I can even arrange a red carpet. Just say the word”

Wolf tilted his head slightly. “I hoped you’d be less cocky after our last meeting”

“What, like making me strip is going to break me?”, Reyes spat.

Wolf was getting annoyed. He could see it the way his eyes squinted, the way he straightened his back. Reyes couldn’t care less. He felt helpless, worse useless. So he lashed out.

“Considering your position, your provocation is uncalled for”

Reyes barked a humorless laugh. “Your hiding behind big words while hiding in a cave. Don’t consider me impressed”

Wolf frowned. Then he gave a nod to the men behind him.

The Krogan, Skat, put duct tape over his mouth again. Why not do it back in his cell, but then again that would probably spoil Wolf’s fun. Said man got up and came towards him. He gave him a satisfied once over before grabbing his chin and bringing his face close to Reyes’.

“How pretty you are, when you shut up. Gladly, I didn’t bring you to chat. Let’s call your Pathfinder, shall we? Your boyfriend is most likely mad with worry”

Reyes glared at him angrily.

It took less than a few seconds for Ryder to pick up and his voice echoing through the cave had Reyes’ stomach turn. While back in the cave he hadn’t allowed himself to think about Scott too much, to keep emotions at bay, hearing his voice now slammed into him like a Krogan and fear and worry kicked in, mostly for Ryder, a bit for himself.

“Let me talk to Reyes”, was the first thing leaving his mouth.

Wolf frowned. “Now now, Pathfinder, that’s not very polite, is it? I was looking forward to our call for days”

“Stop playing, asshole! I want to talk to him” Ryder was on edge.

Wolf tilted his head slightly. His voice dropped dangerously low, almost resembling a growl. “Thing is, Pathfinder, you’re not the one in charge, so you may consider keeping me happy. I have pretty little patience for bad manners. Considering how you trained your pet I am not impressed"

"Stop calling him that!", Scott spat.

Reyes chest felt tight and he could barely breathe. He  _ hurt,  _ Reyes realized confused. His whole being felt tight and curled up and hurt by the sound of Scott’s voice. He really wanted him to be here right now.

Wolf waited, patiently, lurking.

He could hear Ryder take some calming breaths. “Alright”, Scott pressed out. He sounded defeated and Reyes hated it.

“Good” The smile returned to Wolf’s face and Reyes wanted to punch it off. “I am sure you’re all eager to know what task I require you to do”

“Shoot”

“You are alone, Pathfinder? Kept this affair to yourself?”

“We’re on private coms, of course we’re alone”, he sneered. “And who am I supposed to tell of my Kadaran Smuggler boyfriend anyways, huh?”

Which was true. Reyes wasn’t even sure if Scott’s team knew. Well, the Turian and the Krogan probably had a guess, since they had accompanied Scott during his first stay on Kadara. He hadn’t been subtle about flirting back then.

“Ah yeah, those affairs don’t mix well with politics, do they?” Wolf almost sounded sympathetic. He leaned back in his chair. “To business then: Your Outpost on Kadara Port. I want you to take down security, all of it, every single backchannel. Seal their weapon storage so they can’t get to it. I know by chance that you have some unique technology at hand, use it. I want you to do so quietly, without telling anyone, not even your Team. Keep security down for a six hours at least”

Reyes felt anger sprout from deep down, burning him from inside out. This asshole was planning an ambush and wanted to blame it on Scott. He tried to say something, though his voice was only muffled sound against the tape across his lips. Wolf shot him a warning glare.

The tension grew the longer Scott kept silent. Finally he said: “You’re planning an ambush”

“Yes. And since I want to make sure it succeeds, you will be the one leading it”

Reyes’ heart stopped. He could hear Scott suck in his breath. “What?”

“Ah, my dear Pathfinder, does this shock you? You see, I can’t trust you to not mess up my pretty little plan. So I’ll have you at the front line, with someone watching you of course. After Phase 1, disabling all security measures, you’ll arrive at a dropsite I will send you the coordinates of after security went down. You’ll be picked up. You see, someone needs to lead the assault and I am very busy watching your pretty boy. You might want to be thorough during Phase 1”

“This can’t possibly-”

“It’s a easy guerilla tactic, surely you know how to do that”

Reyes gritted his teeth. Ryder would never be that stupid to-

“I can’t!” Ryder sounded desperate. For the first time in a long while, he sounded like a boy, highlighting how young the shoulders were the whole galaxy loaded their burden on to. And it broke Reyes’ heart.

“Then you might want to say goodbye to your boyfriend. He misses you dearly, you know”

Scott swore and Reyes pressed his eyes shut as worry, anger and helpless desperation all tensed up, keeping his lungs from working. This was his fault. If he had watched his drink at Tartarus, if he’d been more careful-

“Alright”, Scott said and Reyes felt sick. He had to be kidding. 

“I am very happy we come to an agreement. I will send you further information within the next day. After you receive it, you have one week to take your Outpost down”

“You want me to contact you after Phase 1, I assume?” Scott’s voice sounded foreign now.

Wolf smiled. “No. I’ll know when it’s done”

Ryder replied with some kind of grunt. “Now let me talk to him”

“Of course” His voice was a very satisfied growl.

Wolf walked straight up to Reyes. “You know the drill: Remember to behave” The Krogan pressed the gun into his back. He didn't even bother muting Scott and ripped the duct tape off. “Shit”, Reyes cursed against the pain burning on his lips.

“Reyes? Fuck, Babe how are you?” The worry in Ryder’s voice threatened to crush him.

Reyes didn’t even bother answering his question. “Don’t do it! He won’t keep his word anyways, it’s not worth it! Ryder, when you-”

The shot echoed from the stone around him mixing with his scream. Once the ringing in his ears stopped and he blinked the tears out of his eyes, he could see blood seeping through his shirt. He stared at it with some kind of disbelieve. Wolf shot right through his left shoulder. From a distance he could hear Ryder yell at the guy, showering him with curses.

“Now now, you don’t want to make my mood worse, do you? You better hurry up, before I have to give him another lesson on obedience. He is not very good at it” He hung up.

For some seconds Wolf just stood there, staring at the ceiling, taking a deep breath to calm his rage. Reyes flinched when the man turned around and came towards him. 

He let his hand roam over the hole in his shoulder - and dug his fingers in. Reyes vision exploded, white and black bolts flashed before his eyes. He couldn’t even hear himself scream as pain ripped through his body. Even if he wanted to keep his voice down, there was no way and the man just curled his fingers inside him.

He blacked out. When he came back to his senses, he was laying on his side, chest heaving. His vision was blurry and he felt lightheaded. Fingers grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look up. “I’m sure next time you’ll do better”, the man crouching in front of him said. “Won’t you?”

When he lacked a response the man circled one finger around the wound in his shoulder again and Reyes couldn’t stop himself from flinching back with a whimper. Hastily he nodded.

“Good boy”


	7. In the Dark

Ryder probably only pretended to accept the deal. That’s what Reyes tried to tell himself over and over again. He wouldn’t go through with Wolf’s demands.

He pressed his eyes shut and curled up on himself, against the cold and the crushing weight in his chest. He should have kept his distance. A criminal, a smuggler from Kadara - the bloody Charlatan himself and the Pathfinder, a stupid idea. Now it came back to bite them in the ass.

Exhausted, Reyes stared into the darkness. He wondered how Scott was doing right now. He could imagine him pacing in his room Reyes had only seen once when the whole crew happened to be out. He and Sam were probably figuring out a way to link Wolf. Scott would never yield to his plan. He wouldn’t. There was no way. Ryder was the good guy, he’d never risk a whole Outpost just for Reyes. If he did-

Reyes shuddered.

He should have kept his distance.

The Pathfinder had managed to make Reyes  _ want _ to be a better man. He struggled, very much so, but he tried. After he'd killed Sloane, he’d almost lost Scott to his lies and he promised himself not to let this happen again. He could tell Scott was still willing to trust him. He let him get away with small secrets and didn’t pressure him into changing. That’s why Scott deserved better.

After Meridian, they managed to see each other more often, but it still came down to only a few days a month. In those days, Scott showered him with affection Reyes didn’t deserve and didn’t know how to cope with. Where Reyes was flirty and easy going, Scott was soft and caring. 

Scott made him feel loved. Something Reyes didn’t know how to deal with. He didn’t listen to Reyes' complains, when he hold him, his hand brushing through his hair and down his neck, settling on his back. He also didn’t mind him making sarcastic remarks when Ryder said something sweet. He’d push his hand away when it reached for him only to grab it a few moments later. Reyes was bad at accepting what Scott was offering. It scared him as much as he craved it. He’d never admit, that he enjoyed Ryder’s sweet words, his caressing hands that just wanted to feel without leading to something sexual. To get the feeling of being important for someone.

Reyes had never been taken care of, he’d always been for himself. Scott was so willing to give, always give, to him, the Nexus, everyone. And deep down Reyes feared the moment the weight everyone loaded onto Ryder’s shoulders would bring him down.

Reyes didn’t know how to care for someone. Not in the fluffy cuddling through mental breakdown sense. He could take Scott’s mind off. He could do silly things, get them into pointless trouble that didn’t come with combat, stuff they could laugh at. He could not add to the burden Scott carried.

At least he tried. And failed miserably.

The cold felt good against his throbbing shoulder, though the pain was welcome. It kept his mind occupied. He was only back in the cave for a few hours, nighttime hadn't passed yet. The dull pain in his shoulder had transformed into a constant pulsating one.

He was still shaken about being shot. For all of Wolf’s showed off dominance, his display of power he’d been sure it was only that: A show off. Reyes was unsure about what to do now. He didn’t even think about giving in, this asshole wouldn’t get away with his bullshit. His pride alone forbade it.

Thing was, Reyes was a coward, too. Always had been. It was the reason why he led Sloane into an ambush instead of confronting her directly. Why he hid behind the Charlatan. Well hidden behind secrets and shadow, he could have the power without the consequences. A coward’s way out.

He wanted to be someone - without the danger that came with it. Contrary to the adventurous image Reyes had built for himself, he craved safety. At least, for his life. 

Reyes took risks. Well calculated ones, those he could hardly loose, those he could control. Being shot went so against his agenda.


	8. The Unwanted Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Graphic Describtion of Sexual Abuse/Rape

The sound of keys was the only warning he got before the embedded door swung open. Reyes instinctively knew he was in trouble, when Wolf stepped through. A Krogan he didn't now followed him.

“What are you-”, he began, backing away as the Krogan approached him. He managed to evade his hands at first, but pushed into a corner there was little room for him to get away. The Krogan gave him a hearty push and Reyes crushed into the stone wall. He hit his head, pain followed by dizziness. The Krogan used that to grab him.

“Hey, don’t kill him!”, Wolf barked, tapping on his Omnitool. 

Somewhere in the middle of the cell, a metal pole came out of the ground. His arms got handcuffed, the chain attached to a hook on the pole. His shoulder roared up in protest and he had to grit his teeth to keep any sound from spilling. With his hands tied above his head, he swore and kicked at the Krogan, who simply took a step back.

Wolf stood in a far away corner, his arms clasped behind his back in curious patience. He continued tapping on the Omnitool and in the wall some lights went on. The Krogan turned to leave.

“Hey!”, Reyes shouted to hide his panic and because keeping quiet was against his nature. “You gonna leave me alone with this creep?” The door closed shut. Fuck.

The lamps lightning Wolf’s face from the side casted sinister shadows on his angular face. His eyes seemed sunken in, his expression hard, his smile threatening. Out of reflex, Reyes pressed himself against the pole in his back without noticing. Ice blue eyes kept staring at him.

“You already missed me?”, Reyes forced through his tight throat because the silence felt suffocating.

Wolf’s smile turned into a grin, which only made it worse. “I wonder if you ever run out of stupid things to say”

“Nah”, Reyes replied. “There is an endless stream of it. Insults, too. Let’s start with Asshole”

He hated that persistent grin on Wolf’s face. It made him look arrogant. Reyes forbade himself from acknowledging, that it made him look cruel. “Ever thought about slicing up the corner of your mouth? Only way to make your fucking face even more creepy”

“Doesn’t go well with the beard, though”, Wolf replied bored. “By the way, how is your shoulder?”

Reyes tensed. Wolf noticed and he playfully moved his hand towards it. He couldn’t stop himself from flinching back.

“Maybe you should remember that, before getting cocky”, Wolf advised. “You made me angry back there. I hate to be angry, such a primitive emotion. And I have to make sure you don’t do it again. You understand that, right?”

Reyes spat at him. He managed to hit him on the right cheek. The vein on Wolf’s temple twitched. For a second Reyes wished he’d punch him, beat him up and get the unbearable tension out of the air.

“You’re really making this hard for yourself”, Wolf hissed.

“You're going to kill me anyways”, Reyes snapped.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I know your ugly face and I'll fucking track you down once I am out of here", he growled, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.

Wolf seemed to consider his words, wiping the spit away with a handkerchief.

“You won't. You see, when you're out of here your Pathfinder will be nothing more than a criminal. A terrorist. One the whole galaxy knows the face of. Kadara will be at war with the Nexus, Elaaden will soon follow and their hero will be to blame. You will have a lot more to worry about than your sweet revenge. How much of a danger is your Pathfinder, without the Initiative holding his back and the whole galaxy against him? Those on our side hate him already, those on his side… will hate him as soon as he followed my instructions”

“You give your plan way too much credit. He’ll have the proof to-”

“To what? Prove that he deemed the life of a Kadaran street rat higher than a whole Outpost? That this was worth attacking the Initiative? Because, you see, here is where you come into play: The Pathfinder had a criminal boyfriend, what a scandal! He sympathized with the exiles all along”

An icy grip tightened around his heart.

“One way or another, your Pathfinder is done. And without him, the Initiative will have a huge drop in moral. It will be easy to crush them down”

Reyes could feel his heartbeat in his throat. “So that’s what this is about? Payback for the Initiative?”

“I don’t care to tell you about my reasons. I came here for a whole different matter”

His eyes fell on the knife in Wolf’s hand as he came towards him. His brain went on standby for a few seconds, before his body remembered how to move. He kicked at Wolf, who had little problems evading him, even with his limb.

“Stop moving I don't wish to cut you”, he ordered and when the knife touched his belly, Reyes froze. Wolf made a appreciative hum. “That’s a nice pet”

He only noticed what’ve happened, when the icy air hit his skin. Wolf had cut his shirt open, sliced right through the front of it. Now it hung down his body like a vest.

Wolf's hand traced down his neck over his chest and shoved itself under the remains of his shirt. Gently he caressed the skin on his belly before going up, brushing a nail over his nipple. Reyes let out a threatening growl otherwise concentrating on not responding to the groping hands. 

Wolf playfully tilted his head. “You know what? Let’s get you down. Literally”

The hook on the pole was variable in high and with a motion on his Omnitool, it moved towards the ground pulling his arms with it. It went too fast for Reyes to adapt and his arms got bend behind his back. His shout echoed from the stone, the pain in his shoulder was blinding and he blinked through his tears, now sitting on the stone floor. He struggled to get to his knees at least.

“That’s better”, Wolf mused.

“Fuck you”, Reyes bit back.

Wolf cocked an eyebrow. With his knife he pushed the fabric off Reyes left shoulder.

He made a sympathetic hissing sound. "That looks painful", he cooed, almost gently roaming his finger over his bruised skin. 

"You know", he continued, his finger trailing back up his neck, catching a strand of hair and playfully twisting it between his fingers. “I really don't want to. But if you don't behave I will really hurt you"

Reyes shuddered. His heart hammered frantically against his chest and his muscles tensed when Wolf settled behind him. He had to keep his cool. Wolf was only trying to scare him. If he didn’t respond, he’d get bored, Wolf was such a guy. 

Wolf circled his finger around his left nipple until it perked up, rolling it between his fingers. Reyes concentrated on the floor in front of him, ignoring the other hand feeling his abs, digging its fingers in.

Piercing cold eyes observed him closely and added to the tight feeling in his chest. He tried to blend them out, too.

He shied away when he felt something warm against his neck. The breathed chuckle against his skin made his hair stand up. The mouth followed his motion, settling against the crook of his neck, kissing and sucking. He hated it. He clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from responding. The less he reacted, the sooner Wolf would get bored.

The hand on his abs traced upwards, pinching his right nipple hard once and Reyes flinched back, cursing himself. It earned him another chuckle from the man and his hand wandered back down. Reyes tensed when it brushed across his waistband.

“You know, I think your boyfriend went slack in your training. A mistake I intend to correct. After all, we want him to get a nice behaved pet back, right?”

“I’m not a dog, dickhead”, Reyes growled, trying to twist his body away.

Wolf brought his face near to Reyes’. “You’re not? With all your pointless barking I almost forgot”, he mocked.

Reyes glared at the other man. His heart sank and his body froze when he felt Wolf’s hand playfully run along his waistband once more before pushing past it.

Wolf’s hand closed around his soft cock, his tongue licked up his neck, biting into the flesh right under his ear. His other hand was still busy pinching and teasing his chest. Reyes pressed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. Soon, he felt the heat building in his groin and the beating of his heart nearly made him choke. He could hardly breathe through his tight throat and dug his nails into his palms to feel anything else than the hands on him.

He watched with horror how he got hard in the hand of the other man. His body responding like that filled him with shame. He tried to struggle free of his grasp, but the handcuffs cut deep into his wrists and with Wolf kneeling behind him he couldn't fucking move! The restricted space he had was barely enough to escape the groping hands for more than a heartbeat.

“Stop it”, he forced through gritted teeth and when the man pressed his thumb against the slit of his cock, a moan escaped his throat. He tensed, eyes wide with shock.

The breathed chuckle against his ear made him want to vomit. “That’s a good boy”, Wolf cooed, nibbling on his earlobe. “Enjoying yourself, are you?”

“You’re- wrong”

“Oh? Look at you. All hard and dripping. You’re very receptive to touch, aren’t you? Or is it, because a stranger touching you excites you?”

“Stop-”, Reyes pressed out, trying to press his legs together to limit access.

"No, keep them open for me"

Reyes' jaw clenched. His mind was blank, he felt unable to move. Wolf pressed the gun against his knee, tightening the grip around him to almost hurt. "You want a bullet in your knee to the one in your shoulder?"

He started shaking, he couldn’t help it. His eyes fixated on some faraway corner, he forced himself to let his legs fall open.

"Thank you, doll. After all we want you to enjoy this, don't we"

Reyes gritted his teeth. He hated the pet names, somehow they made it worse.

Wolf dragged a fingernail along the length of his cock, fingers slick with precum before closing around him again, stroking. The wet sounds seemed to mock him, echoing lewdly through the silence. Reyes' breath hitched and his body trembled.

“It’s not that bad, is it?”, Wolf murmured in his ear. “You’re feeling good, huh?”

“I’m not”, Reyes pressed out, fighting to control his breathing. “I hate this”

Wolf barked a growling laugh. “Oh, but your body is so very honest with me. It shows me very clearly how much you love it. Are you even trying to hold back?"

The words burned through his mind and blood shot in his face. Ignore, ignore, ignore-

Wolf bit down in the crook of his neck, tongue pushing against the maltreated skin in the moment his nails scratched over the inside of his thighs. He dragged his teeth over the burning mark he left, his hand tightened around him. A hoarse moan echoed from the reverberant stone walls, making it seemingly louder. Shocked, he bit down on his lips, tasting blood.

“Very good, pet”, he praised and it burned like fire. “That's it, make sweet sounds for me. I want to hear you. You can even cry out your boyfriend’s name if you like”, the voice in his ear purred.

A horrified whimper left his throat and shame flooded his mind.

He couldn't help the twitching of his body, the small pants escaping his clenched jaw. His body didn't listen to him, worse it utterly betrayed him. He felt the pleasure building up more and more and he was so very disgusted by himself. 

Wolf had his left hand on his chest, rolling his nipple between his fingers, his lips brushing along his neck. His palm set a steady pace now, the slick sounds made Reyes sick. He could feel the pressure building up, felt like exploding, his body screamed for release while his mind went into denial. This wasn't happening to him.

He felt himself getting close to- No! Reyes arched his back, to try to get away.

"Stop touching me!", he yelled and he hated how desperate his voice sounded.

The hoarse chuckle in his ear had his hair stand up and again Wolf rubbed his thumb over the tip, pressing down on it.

He tensed up.

No, this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t-

“Come for me, pretty thing”

He bit down on his lip hard to keep any noise from spilling but still his muffled groan seemed to echo from the walls around him as he came. Wolf kept stroking him until the twitching of his hips stopped. Then, finally, he let him go.

Reyes just sat there, staring with wide eyes into nothing while his brain tried to register what just happened.

He felt Wolf behind him move and before he even thought about it, Reyes got a foot under him and somehow managed to turn around. His shoulder yelled at him but right now he couldn’t give a damn about it. With as much force as he could manage he threw his head forward, ramming it against the other's nose. Stumbling and cursing, Wolf came to his feet, pressing his hands against his face.

“Fucking Asshole, I’ll kill you!”, Reyes screamed, trying to fight against his bound arms, trying to get anywhere near that motherfucker to really, really hurt him.

"You can pretend you hated it but your body doesn't lie. I wonder if your Pathfinder knows"

With an angry yell he tried to kick him again but Wolf lazily took a step out of his reach, smiling. A thin line of blood ran down his nose and he pressed a handkerchief against it.

“It’s good to see there is still some fire in you. I wonder how long it takes to die” Wolf shot him a lewd grin before stepping towards the imbedded door.

Reyes kept showering him with curses, until the door closed and the lights went dark.


	9. The Opportunist

Alone in the dark is when the shadows go hunting.

About a day later, Reyes was still chained to the pole, his hands started tingling and his fingers felt cold. The icy air bit into his chest and he had goosebumps all over. He barely noticed it. The thoughts hunting his head were worse. He could still feel Wolf’s hand on him, didn’t know how to shake them off. 

The way Wolf had touched him, watching him to adjust his teasing, to make him feel good- He wished, Wolf would have hurt him. That he’d punched him for rejecting, hands too rough and hard, fingers digging painfully in his flesh. Than he wouldn’t have-

The way his body responded- 

_ You can pretend you hated it but your body doesn't lie. _

He gritted his teeth, pressing his eyes shut. He felt blood rush into his face. Shame and guilt filled him. Did he submit too easily?

_ Are you even trying to hold back? _

Maybe he should have-

The door opened and he tensed. No, not again, not-

Two men came in, Scarface and Curly, to be precise. No Krogan. Reyes brain worked fast, he let his body go limp and hang in the chains. He let their snarky remarks to uncommented, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, pretending to be unconscious. 

They stopped their laughter and eyed him mistrustfully.

“You think Boss killed him?”

“Nah, he's breathing. Besides, wouldn’t have send us here then, would he?”

“What do you think...?” He left his sentence unfinished.

“Don’t know, was in a foul mood when he got here”

They fell silent, one of them knelt down in front of him. “Oi, you there”, he poked one finger in Reyes’ forehead. “Oi, you hear me?”

Reyes didn’t react.

“Doesn’t look too good”, Curly said.

“Fuck”, Scarface breathed. “He dies, Boss will have a fit”

They exchanged uneasy looks. Then, they started fumbling with the chains. The moment his arms went down, Reyes had to keep himself from groaning. His shoulder screamed loudly in protest and he was pretty sure that an infection settled in. One of the men hold him upright, so he hadn’t pretend to fall to the side or some shit.

“Oi! You, wake up!” He got slapped on his cheek.

“Should we get the doc?”

Reyes pried his eyes open just enough to notice the gun on Scarface’s hip.

“What, for a prisoner? He just got a good beating, he’ll wake up soon”, Curly scoffed.

Reyes moved fast, before the other two man had adapted, he grabbed Scarface’s gun and shot Curly in his stunned face. He dropped dead immediately. Scarface recovered quickly, already reaching for another gun as Reyes hit the weapon against his temple with full force. He also dropped down.

Panting Reyes stared down on them and before even thinking twice, headed for the door those idiots kept open. He didn’t care much longer for getting lost in the ice tunnels of Voeld, everything was better than staying.

The tunnel he entered went straight on until parting into a left and right course. The left one would bring him to Wolf’s cave so he went right. He’d feel a lot better in armor.

With surprise on his side he felt pretty confident and rage was a strong motivator. Because as soon as he left his fucking cell he really got hella angry. How dare that asshole forced so much power on him. He didn't come to Andromeda to be contained and trained like a dog. For a second, he had to force himself to calm down. He had to get out, not blast this idiot’s head away as much as he wanted too. He’d get that bastard, just not now.

He didn’t run into anyone for quite a while and it made him restless. He came into a smaller cave, some crates and barriers were the only thing hinting that there was anyone at all. He heard chatter and immediately ducked behind one of the crates. A man and a woman were leaning against one of the barriers, chatting. He seemed to have said something funny, because she started chuckling. 

Since he had no armor and didn’t want to get shot, he tried to sneak his way past them. He nearly reached the next tunnel opening, when he stilled. How was he supposed to enter the tunnel without being seen. He peeped over the barrier he crouched behind. They were still busy flirting. If he moved very quietly-

He took a steadying breath to brace himself, then left his cover. Quickly he hushed to the other side of the tunnel wall, pressing himself into the shadow. Only when he couldn’t hear them anymore did he allow himself to breathe again. Fuck, he didn’t even know how far he still had to go until he would reach some shuttles, either less if he even walked in the right direction.

He shoved those thoughts aside and kept walking. It was about ten minutes later, when next to him another embedded door opened. Fuck.

The two man that stood behind it and Reyes froze in their movement, staring at each other. Those guys in disbelief, Reyes in shock. One of the men reached for his weapon and Reyes shot him. Cursing, the other guy closed the door again and Reyes could hear him call for reinforcements.

He started running. The time for stealth was over, in the tunnels it was easy to corner him and without armor he couldn’t fully engage in combat. This would get ugly quickly. He tried to remember which turns he took, going right two times, then left and right again. Maybe, if he lost them in that blasted labyrinth, he could try to find a way out on his own. Maybe, there was another.

The roar was the only indicator he got, before he got body slammed by a 500 pound Krogan as soon as he reached the next crossing. He hit the wall next to him and the air left his lungs in a rush on impact. He couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. He was on his knees, hand grabbing his hurting ribs, trying to draw in some breaths. He’d lost his weapon.

The Krogan grabbed him by his throat, pushing him up against the wall. He felt silly, the way his feet dangled in the air.

“Let- go”, he croaked out. The Krogan squeezed harder and Reyes hand frantically tried to pry his huge claws off. His vision started going dark on the edges and it took him some moments, before he blacked out.

* * *

He felt heavy. Slowly, Reyes opened his eyes. The floor was swaying and with a groan he closed them again.

“Think he’s awake”, a voice said.

Reyes tensed, eyes flying open he tried to get up. The Krogan had him thrown over his shoulder and the floor swayed in tact with his steps. Without thinking much, Reyes started struggling. “Let me down, you stupid-” He was on his feet quicker than he imagined and for a second his knees threatened to give away. He found his balance quickly, shooting around to fight anyone who- Resignation settled in as he realized his arms were once again bound behind his back. He glared at the Krogan in front of him, one with red scales. Next to him stood Skat and a woman he didn’t know.

Reyes met Skat a lot. More often than anyone else. Either he was lackey of the months, or Wolf deemed him trustworthy. 

“Keep moving, or I’ll kick you down the tunnel like a fucking ball you piece of shit”, the red Krogan growled.

“How original. Did your job description ask for any qualification other than bastard?"

“Don’t think your in the position to make snarky remarks”, Skat said and pushed him down the tunnel.

“Watch it, asshole”, Reyes growled.

He should probably listen to the Krogan and keep his mouth shut. But Reyes mind didn’t work rationally right now. His flight didn’t work, he got caught and now they most definitely brought him to Wolf. The prospect of meeting him scared the shit out of Reyes and that didn’t sit well with him. Reyes wasn’t scared of some puffed up idiot who hid in a fucking cave. Still, his heartbeat quickened and his hands started shaking. He clenched them into fists to hide it. It was obvious that this guy was a control freak and Reyes killing two of his men and running wouldn’t go well for him. 

“We should have shot him”, the woman groaned.

“Boss wants him alive”

“Yeah, but he shot Bill and Frank. We can at least rough him up enough so he fucking shuts up”, that other Krogan said again.

Skat shot the Krogan a warning glare and he moodily gave Reyes another push. They arrived at a door and without much ceremony he got shoved through it.

He hadn’t been in the room before. There wasn’t much, just a chair in the middle with some handcuffs attached to it and its very sight unnerved him. Were they planning to torture him?

“Well well, Reyes. So glad you decided to stay”

A cold shudder ran down Reyes’ spine as he watched Wolf step out of the shadows. His eyes had some angry glare in them and for once, he wasn’t smiling. 

“I am a bit offended, to be honest”, he said stepping up to him. “You could have had it easy. I am pretty sure I made it very clear that I can’t stand misbehavior. All you had to do was be a good little boy that doesn’t cause any problems. And then you ran off and shot my men. I’m beginning to think you're pissing me off on purpose”

“Don’t take it personal”, Reyes pressed out through gritted teeth. “I’m touchy when being abducted and blackmailed, crazy I know”

Wolf watched him, the vein on his temple was twitching. “You have some nerve”, Wolf growled. “Maybe I shouldn’t return you after all, since you seem so determined to do anything to prevent it. You put my own bullets into my men”

“Was saving one for you, asshole” His voice shook a bit and it annoyed him. From the corner of his eyes he could see some men come in.

Wolf grabbed his jaw, his fingers dug painfully hard in his cheeks. “Tsk, tsk, tsk”, he chided him. “It seems like beating some obedience into you will take a while. Thankfully, I’m patient” He let him go and took a step back.

The first hit came out of nowhere. The man next to him just rammed his fist into Reyes' stomach. Before he could brace himself, the four men around him started beating him. When one kicked him in the back of his knee to get him to the ground, they started kicking. Reyes instinctively curled up, with his hands behind his back he had no way to protect his head and neck so he just tried to get his knees as close to his forehead as possible, to make himself small to provide less contact surface. The rushing of blood in his ear, the frantic beating of his heart made him deaf for anything else, all he could feel was the pain erupting in his body.

It didn’t take him long to lose his orientation. How long were they on it and were the men the same? Did they become more? 

Wolf just stayed back and watched and those cold, cruel, piercing eyes burned themselves into Reyes' memory.


	10. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Torture, Sexual Abuse/Rape

Reyes didn't hear the whistle causing his attackers to stop. To be precise, he didn't even notice they stopped. He stayed curled up, waiting for the next hit, the next wave of pain. His heart hammered in his chest. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt.

He roughly got pushed on his back, hissing as his bruised body came to lay on his bound hands.

Dazed, he forced his eyes to open. Wolf towered over him, looking down with motionless, cold, piercing eyes.

Wolf placed his foot on his injured shoulder - and shifted his weight. Reyes howled, screamed at the top of his lungs. The pain had him nearly pass out.

"You sick motherfucker, fucking psychopath! I'll kill you!", he yelled through his tears.

"Please, continue to insult me. That makes it so much more rewarding", he growled grinding his shoe into the infected, swollen flesh.

Reyes sobbed in pain. When Wolf finally stopped he just curled back in on himself, breath catching in his throat.

"You have anything else you want to tell me?", Wolf asked unimpressed.

"Fucker", Reyes breathed out, glaring at him.

Wolf grinned. "I see" Then he tilted his head, a chuckle vibrating through the air. "You know, maybe it's time to get behind that nickname of yours"

He tried to fight against the hand around his arm that forced him on his knees, against the fist that grabbed his hair tightly. He already wanted to tell him to fuck off, when Wolf positioned himself in front of him, opening his fly. Reyes' face lost all its colour. He could hear some of the man sneering at him.

The tip of Wolf's cock brushed against his lips. Reyes clamped his jaw shut. No, no, nonono-

The man had that lazy smile on his face again, the one Reyes wanted to burn off with a flamethrower. A finger playfully ran down the side of his face, his neck-

Wolf grabbed his injured shoulder hard and squeezed.

A pained whimper left his sealed, trembling lips. He concentrated on keeping them closed. Wolf cocked an eyebrow, tilted his head with some sick curiosity as a fucking sadist like him might bend a bird’s wing to see when it would break. "Poor doll", he cooed, running a finger over his teary cheek. "I really don't want to hurt you, pet. You can make this stop. Just open that pretty mouth of yours"

A wave of desperation and helplessness washed over Reyes. The pain was too much, he just wanted this to stop and there was nothing he could to except- Slowly he forced his tense jaw to open. 

"Very good. I don't need to tell you what happens when you bite, right?"

That was about the only warning he got as Wolf grabbed him by his hair and pushed in all the way.

Reyes tried to relax his throat, but the guy went to fast for him to adapt. Reyes choked violently as the man's cock forced its way past his throat, keeping him in place. He gagged, tears shooting in his eyes as he struggled for air. He couldn’t breathe. Frantically, he tried to get away, tried to get free of the painful grip in his hair, to twist his body so he could get out. With his own hands bound behind his back, there was no way for him to get some space between him and the other’s crotch, all he could do was push against the tight grip holding him in place.

Wolf drew back a few times, not nearly enough for Reyes to get in some air, before ramming back in, holding him there. His throat fucking hurt. His tear blurred vision started to go dark on the edges and in a panic he realized he started to black out. That’s when the man let him go. Reyes broke down gagging and heaving while he realized from a distance that the sticky stuff running down his hair was cum as Wolf stroked himself through his orgasm.

He felt miserable, keeping his blurred gaze fixated to the ground, head bend and shaking.

A hand grabbed his jaw tight and forced him to look up. There was a smug smile on the guys face as he ran a finger over his bruised bottom lip.

“What a good boy you’ve been for me. Such a better use for that mouth of yours. I bet your Pathfinder would agree. No wonder he keeps you around” The words ran through his body like poison. A praise meaner than any mock could be, and he could feel it seeping into him. Wolf looked at him as if waiting for a rude remark. When Reyes didn’t say something, averted his eyes instead, he nodded obviously pleased and ruffled his hair. “That's a nice pet. Get him to the shower”, he said to one of his men. As soon as the door closed behind him, Reyes let out his shaking breath, closing his eyes. He felt empty and tired. Just fucking tired.


	11. Aftermath

He must have dozed off, his mind decided that it was time for a break. He felt himself float, and for a short time, it was bliss, not to feel the pain in his body or his soul.

It only lasted for a few minutes though, as he felt something press against his body.

"Get up" that Krogan - Skat - said, his foot nudging Reyes leg. Reyes moved on autopilot. He rolled to the side to get on his knees and forced himself up. Only now he realized that the handcuffs were gone.

He stood, an arm shooting to his ribs, drawing in a hissed breath. "Fuck", he groaned.

He got led through a door in a small bathroom. Skat didn’t need to order him to get into the shower. As soon as he saw it Reyes felt the urge to clean himself, to wash every trace of Wolf’s touch away. The Krogan gave him some privacy at least, turned his back and leaned against the door obviously bored.

His hands shook a bit, when he got out of his clothes but the Krogan kept his body averted, so he quickly undressed and got under the shower. The cold that had his body into a tight grip for days, now also came from inside so he put the water straight to hot, hissing when it seared his cold skin. He bit his lip, waiting for his body to adapt.

He washed frantically, hands almost scratching and the more he scrubbed the dirtier he felt. His nails left red traces on his skin but he just couldn’t get the feeling of the hands off. It wasn’t until the skin on his arms started burning, that he forced himself to stop. His breath left his cramped lungs too quickly and his head was spinning. Shit, his throat hurt. His ribs hurt. His ego hurt - he didn't know it could do that. Basically, his whole body fucking hurt.

He leaned his right arm against the cold tiles, his forehead resting against it. He watched the water spiral around the drain before disappearing. The hot water helped relax the cramped muscles in his back. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on nothing else.

He wondered what Scott was up to right now. Did he already find a way to trick Wolf? He clenched his fist. No, don't think about that. Fuck, he really hoped Scott hurried up. Thinking about him- It made his chest feel tight. Shit, he fucking missed him.

For a second he allowed himself to drift off. If Scott would be here right now… He’d stand behind him and wrap his arms around him, like he always did when Reyes felt tense. He’d rest his chin on Reyes’ shoulder and look at him with that little smile on his lips. Reyes would be able to feel his heartbeat against his back. For a second, he could almost feel the warmth of his touch.

The Krogan coughed and the warmth was gone. Annoyed, Reyes turned the water from hot to cold to match his mood. He swore amd arched his back when the water hit him. It felt good on his shoulder though so he stayed there a bit longer.

Finally, he forced himself to get out. As much as he came to hate his fucking cell, at least there they left him alone most of the time. Except that one time-

There was a towel and he quickly dried himself off, getting back in his old clothes. They were dirty from the feet kicking him.

On the way back, his mind took its time off again. He only became aware of his surroundings, when he got pushed into his cell and stumbled, his body too tired to bring up the balance to break his fall. The door behind him closed shut and he was alone in the dark, once again.

He curled in on himself. Right now he felt… nothing. He stayed like that, curled up, listening to the throbbing of his body, his heartbeat - totally fading out the pain in his chest. He couldn’t deal with that right now, it was too much. He took in a shaking breath as he sunk deeper into his exhaustion.

_ Shit, Ryder. Hurry. _


	12. The Fallen Hero

It was only a day after that he was summoned by Wolf again. The whole way to the big cave he felt on edge and his mind didn’t stop forcing up the memory of hands on his body and fists in his hair, the struggling for air. He could barely move with his body bruised and his muscles cramped from prior treatment. 

When he stood before Wolf, Reyes kept his eyes to the ground and his mouth shut. He didn’t want to provoke anything.

“Reyes” Wolf’s voice cut through the silence and he had to keep himself from flinching. He could feel the hated eyes glued to him. “Oh my, you look miserable”

Reyes gritted his teeth, clenched his hands into fists, allowing humiliation to wash over him. God, he hated this guy.

“I feel like yesterday you got the impression of me being unnecessarily cruel to you. I want to let you know that I don’t enjoy putting you in your place...”  _ Liar.  _ “... but I will continue to do so, until you learned to follow rules. I hope you understand”

Reyes glared towards the ground, trying to control his breathing.

“Don’t you want to answer me?”, Wolf smiled and the change in his voice made Reyes tense.

He swallowed a few times around the giant lump in his throat, before he managed to speak. His throat burned and his voice sounded hoarse and piped down. “Since I don’t have anything nice to say, I’d prefer to keep my mouth shut”

Surprised Wolf raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me our last lesson takes effect already?” 

Reyes gritted his teeth but stayed silent. He couldn’t win against him and he’d rather not experience more punishments just to defend his stubborn pride. Getting shoved down another’s cock against one's will did a lot to put things into perspective. He could swallow his pride and endure until he got out of here. Then, he would get his payback.

A growl, like that of an animal left Wolf’s throat. “I feel intrigued to test that. Get down on your knees”

Reyes did. He didn’t care, changed tactics. He could do that, play pretend. Maybe if he satisfied Wolf’s sick demand for control he’d just let him go back into his cell.

A satisfied rumble left Wolf’s throat as he looked down on him. The hair in his neck stood and a cold shiver went down his spine. He felt powerless and at Wolf’s mercy and he hated every second of it. Just for a little while longer...

Wolf stepped up to him and Reyes tensed, eyes fixated on the ground, concentrating on something else. 

“Alas, while I enjoy the sight of you submitting, that’s not why I got you here. It seems it’s your lucky day”, he chided. The happiness in his voice made Reyes wary. He looked up and Wolf all but beamed at him. “Let me show you something”

He tapped on his Omnitool, bringing up a Hologram. It seemed to be a recording.

Reyes paled. He felt nauseous like someone kicked him in the stomach.

He could see a camera zoom in on Ryder’s face, his lips pressed into a small line, expression tight and full remorse. He barely listened to the journalist, obviously shocked, saying that the Pathfinder Scott Ryder ambushed Kadara’s Outpost Ditaeon with what seemed to be a group of Exiles. He saw Ryder together with that Krogan Skat round up some people, the mayor Christmas Tate yelling at him. One of the Exiles knocked him out with a well placed hit of their weapon against his temple. Ryder yanked him back, anger on his face but with Skat stepping up in a more than warning gesture, he backed off. He hated to see the defeat on his lover's face while the journalist spoke of betrayal and a shock for the Initiative, about the Fallen Hero.

Reyes fought the urge to throw up. His stomach dropped below ground level and he felt cold. He shook out of anger and frustration and disappointment. Ryder gave in to Wolf’s demands. His brain refused to take that information in. Ryder gave in to Wolf’s demands.

He didn’t even know how to react. He wanted to yell, kick, fight but his brain seemed unable to get the information to his body. He stood there, frozen in place and stared at the recording with unbelieving eyes.

“Remember that. I am always getting what I want. The Pathfinder working under my command and a nice behaved pet to my feet. Isn’t that right, pretty?” Wolf’s hand ran through his hair. It made him feel sick. He didn't talk back. Resentment settled in. Defeat. Scott was ruined. He ruined his future for Reyes, it was his fucking fault. He should have kept his distance. They were done. He’d keep his head low and wait to be dropped off. At least, he hoped he would be.

The smile on Wolf’s face changed a bit. “So obedient. Your Pathfinder will be pleased. Maybe he’ll even reward you. But since he’s not here right now...” His hand went to his fly and Reyes could see the half hard cock behind it. His insides froze. He tried to back away, turn his head but Wolf had his hand in a tight grip in his hair again. “Why don’t you show me what a good boy you can be, hmm?”, he purred.

Wolf’s Omnitool plinged. For a second, Reyes feared he would ignore it, but the man sighed and let him go, bringing the device up to check on it.

Something in his face changed. Reyes couldn’t quite name it, but Wolf suddenly got up, already walking to the door, his right leg limping.

“Get him back to his cell”, he barked at one of his man.


	13. Turning Tables

His surroundings had started to go black again, nighttime darkening the light coming from above. He sat with his back against the bars to keep the hidden door within eyesight. He had his knees drawn up, his arms and chin resting on them. He couldn’t believe Ryder gave in. If Wolf let him go - which he wasn’t so sure he would - Ryder would be the most wanted man in Andromeda. The thought of the young man running for his life-

Reyes wasn't fucking worth that. He was a thug, a liar, an opportunist, a coward. And Scott was- Shit. He was Andromeda's Superhero! The one people needed to not lose their fucking heads over leaving their homes for this shithole of a universe. He was kind and brave and- now they would hunt him down because Reyes couldn't even watch his drinks. Because Ryder, helper of all, of course gave in to fucking save him.

The self-loathing felt suffocating and he was disgusted by his own weakness. At least he could get his shit together. If he got to the drop point, Ryder would need him, because shit, that naïve idiot with his stupid helper's syndrome wouldn't last long on the run.

He froze and frowned. Did he hear something?

The sound of the opening door had Reyes on his feet immediately. He backed away from it as far as he could to give himself some time to fight. Wolf came back to continue where he left him and nausea paired with cold fear clung to him. He wasn't used to being scared, hadn't felt it for a while and he hated that feeling, hated that the other man had the power to plant it in him.

A Krogan came in first, like usually. He was in full armor. After him, a woman entered, also in armor, followed by a third figure.

They had their weapons aimed at him and with his heart beating up to his throat his first thought was they were going to shoot him, now that he fulfilled his use as a bargaining chip.

They lowered their weapons and it took Reyes brain longer than usual to recognize that armor.

“Reyes!” The emotions flooding his system all mixed up into a confusing, overwhelming puddle. He made some steps towards Scott before his body reminded him he had barely to eat or drink in a few days and started staggering. 

“Wow, hey, easy. I got you, Babe”

Scott was by his side immediately, locking an arm around his shoulders to steady him. He bit through the pain exploding in it, because Scott was here and everything else didn't matter.

Ryder drew him into a tight hug and Reyes allowed himself to bury his face in Scott's neck, just for a bit. The armor felt hard against his skin but he didn't care, for now this was enough. Ryder's arms around him holding him tight, the familiar scent of his boyfriend managed to calm him down. Then, slowly, he felt anger shoving the other emotions aside.

When Reyes stopped swaying, Ryder let him go, giving him a critical once over. His face was tense, relief, worry and anger fought for the upper hand. “I heard him shoot at you. Where-”

“You complete Idiot!”, he pushed Ryder back. “How stupid could you be to attack that Outpost? Do you know what you’ve done? The Initiative will fucking hunt you down!”

“I didn’t do it”, Scott interrupted him, recovering from his shock very quickly.

Reyes glared at him warily. “It was a trick. Sam corrupted some data and sent it to the frequenz the calls came from. Some people from Ditaeon joined us to pretend to ambush it. Payback for saving their asses a thousand times. You didn’t really think I’d yield to such an arrogant jerk, did you?”

“Fuck”, Reyes breathed, his head slumping against Scott’s shoulder. “Thank fucking god”

He felt Ryders lips pressing against his forehead, before gently nudging him back. “Now, for that asshole shooting at you”

“Yeah. Shoulder”, Reyes bit out.

“Let me see. We have some Medigel, it will take the edge off until we're back”

“Back?”, he asked through gritted teeth while peeling his injured shoulder out of his shirt. He could barely move his arm. It was hot, swollen and a ugly mixture of red, purple and a greenish brown.

Ryder had his eyes glued to his upper body. He didn’t want to look at it, the tight expression in Scott’s face told him enough. The Pathfinder forced himself to concentrate on his shoulder, eying the injury closely. “Shit”, Ryder muttered. “Must hurt like a bitch”

“No, it’s delightful. Feels like fucking new”

Scott huffed. “What did he shoot you with? A bloody Hammer?”

Reyes shot him a sarcastic glare. He gritted his teeth, as Ryder put some Medigel on it, though the cool felt soothing. “There”, he said. “That should numb it within the next few minutes”

“Good”, Reyes forced himself back into his sweater. 

“Are you done yet? We don’t have forever”, a voice from outside the door said and a head shoved itself through the opening.

“You”, Reyes snarled, recognizing the Krogan named Skat.

“Easy”, Scott grabbed him by his sweater and yanked him back as he already wanted to throw himself at him. “He’s with us, helped us fake the ambush. He got us here in the first place”

Reyes gritted his teeth. The Krogan hold his gaze, leaning against the door in his usual bored manner. “Why?”, he growled.

Skat shrugged. “Wolf got a bit crazy lately. Also, I used to be a friend of Drack.” He pointed his head towards the other Krogan, as if that was explanation enough. Reyes eyed him suspiciously, before glaring at Drack. It was the guy Ryder dragged around when they first met on Kadara. He’d never spoken to the woman accompanying him, but he’d seen her around the marketplace. She always looked like ‘fun’ was some food from a distant land she never heard from.

“Did you get them all?”, Reyes asked towards Ryder. 

“No, there are still some further in”

“Good. Give me a gun”

“Reyes…”

“I am not a damsel in distress, Scott! Give me a fucking gun!”

The Pathfinder shot him a worried glance, then gave him one of his guns. A pistol, which was smart because his injured shoulder probably couldn’t hold much more weight. “You’ll need armor first. We came by a storage, maybe we find one there” Reyes thankfully took another Medigel offered to him. That would keep him running for an hour or two.

“That guy is sturdy”, Drack murmured towards the woman.

“He’s stupid. He can barely move his arm”

Reyes glared at her. “Watch me”

“Now now, let’s stay friends”, Ryder quipped in. “Though, if you get shot I kick your ass”

Reyes managed a crooked smile. “Yeah, figures”

Luckily, the store room for armor wasn’t very far and with Skat’s help they got there quickly. With a gun on his hip and in armor, Reyes managed to detach himself from what was before. He easily found back into his role as Charlatan, the one that killed Sloane Kelly, who managed to take over Kadara Port. An opportunist, who did what had to be done to get his goal, no matter the cost.

His goal right now was to hunt Wolf down. And to kill him.


	14. The Sweet Taste of Revenge

They fought their way to the big cave where this whole shitshow began. Holding the pistol with both hands was difficult, the backlash from firing went right through his left shoulder but he bit through it. The Medigel took the edge off and the rest he could deal with. The ledge was empty. Behind barriers that had been placed there in a hurry and a few crates, Wolf’s men started firing as soon as they came through the door. Ryder cursed, quickly going into cover. Reyes did, too, scanning the cave for any sight of Wolf.

Ryder stayed close to Reyes, covering his left injured side. Thankfully, he did so discreet enough to make it look like pure coincidence, because Reyes didn’t need protection, he could carry his own weight in battle. 

He left Cover, shooting at some idiots taking cover on that blasted ledge and pushed for higher ground. Ryder was close behind him, and pulled him behind a crate when from the left two Krogan and a women positioned themselves to stop them.

“Where do all those people come from?”, Ryder muttered.

“More importantly, how did that asshole manage to built such a big group on Kadara without me noticing”, Reyes growled.

Scott shot him a sideway glance. “Maybe he planned on getting to us from the start and kept under the radar?”

“I have so many backchannels they even rat each other out, Scott, there is no ‘under the radar’ on Kadara”, Reyes snapped, peeping over the crate to look for an opportunity to take those idiots out.

“Well, it looks like there is”, that woman - Cora commented.

Reyes gritted his teeth shooting her a glare. Finally, one of the Krogan offered an opening and he took him out with one shot. The woman left cover immediately and Scott shot her.

The tension within Reyes grew, the further they pushed on without any sight of Wolf. If he got away- He wouldn’t get away, period.

When they checked every corner of the cave and Sam confirmed that there were no lifesigns left, Reyes cursed.

He hurried towards Skat, a hostile glimmer in his eyes. “Where did your boss run to?”

The Krogan shrugged. “Probably somewhere where shuttles can land”

Reyes growled, bringing his face close to the Krogan’s. “I am not very patient right now. Where?”

The Krogan shot him a moody look before tapping on his Omnitool, opening a door. “Probably this way, no guarantee though”

“If he gets away, I'll shoot you”

“Easy there, Vidal”, the other Krogan growled.

Ryder pulled him away from Skat, nudging him towards the door. “Come on, Reyes. He’s with us”

Reyes glared at the Krogan. He was the reason he was here in the first place, he brought him to Wolf over and over again, he stood by and watched as-

He took in a quick breath when he realized his head started spinning. He averted his eyes, his shoulders tight. “Yeah”, he managed to croak out.

They entered the next tunnel. The silence made his hair stand up.

“What do you know about those guys”, Reyes asked because he couldn’t bare the sound of their feet anymore.

“Not much, that Wolf guy’s name is Alexander Wolf, seems to be ex-military, joined the Outcasts after the Uprising. You think he wants revenge for Sloane?”

Reyes frowned. “Don’t think so. He doesn’t spark me as the guy loyal to anyone but him”

“He isn’t”, Skat joined in. “Left Sloane as soon as he could when she started to go mad”

“Seems to be contagious”, Reyes muttered.

Skat hummed his approval. “Wasn’t that bad in the beginning. Not worse than any other gang on Kadara at least. But his methods got… Well, you know best”

Reyes gritted his teeth, ignoring the questioning look Ryder shot him. “Pardon me saying, but I can’t picture him being anything else than an arrogant asshole, methods aside. Why even put up with that jerk?”

“Did you meet Sloane?”, Skat sighed. “Wolf was bad, Sloane was worse. And I didn’t feel like working for a dude that keeps into shadow, so the Collectives were out, too. It was a job like any other. Then Wolf became… more extreme? Urgh, I don’t know. Andromeda changed a lot of people, rarely for the better” 

This time it was on Reyes to hum his approval.

“Should have stayed with Morda”, Drack said.

The Krogan shrugged. “Yeah, well… The benefit of hindsight. Now shut up, we are getting close”

“He has a limb in his right leg”, Reyes growled.

Scott nodded. “Understood” Then, they fell silent as they went in.

* * *

"Freeze" At least ten weapons were aimed at them as soon as they came through the door.

Wolf stood on higher ground, not exactly a ledge this time but the stone before them formed some kind of staircase giving way for a even bigger cave than the one Wolf usually settled. He looked down on them, his hands in his pockets and a cold content smile on his face.

"Skat, that's disappointing. I considered you quite trustworthy, looks like I was wrong”

The Krogan didn’t respond and grabbed his weapon tighter instead.

Wolf didn’t seem to care, his eyes wandered towards Ryder and his expression tightened. “Ah, Pathfinder. I’m almost impressed by the way you played me. And you found your pet, I see. Watching him has been…” His mouth twisted into a cruel smile. “Fun”

Reyes growled, a deep, angry sound almost echoing from the walls.

“Fun?”, Ryder scoffed. “As far as I can see you've been quite the bad host. You don't take good care of your hostages, do you?" He could see the anger in Ryder’s eyes even if he tried to make his voice sound casual.

“Someone had to put him in his place when you are obviously unwilling to properly train him”

“Oh, someone is going to be put in his place but it ain't gonna be me”, Reyes growled. Red searing hatred ran through his veins. He wanted to see him dead, he wanted it to take long and he wanted it to hurt. He would see those fucking eyes fill with pain, he would hear that sadistic asshole scream.

Wolf quirked an eyebrow and let out a disappointed sigh. “Back to the beginning, I see? No matter, no matter, I will gladly teach you again”

Reyes face twisted in anger, his fingers twitching around the grip of his pistol. 

“That’s a lot of arrogant talk for someone who’s entire group has just been shot”, Scott huffed. He too, had tightened his grip around his weapon, eyebrows knitted together into a hateful snarl.

“Yeah, that’s what you Initiative guys do best, right? Shoot people while pretending to be the good guys”, Wolf growled. 

“Well, at least I don’t abduct people to blackmail someone into ambushing an Outpost with Civilians”

“There are no Civilians on the Nexus”, Wolf snapped. “And what do you know, _Pathfinder_. You haven’t been here during the Uprising. I have! They deserve what they got and more. The Nexus threw us out, sent hundreds of us to their deaths to survive on planets they knew were inhabitable. I saw my friends and family die there!” He took in a ragged breath, for a second pressing his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ah, well”, he said and that cruel smile reappeared on his face. “It appears I am done talking to you. Farewell, Pathfinder”

Hell broke loose, as the sound of gunfire filled the air and everyone was running for cover.

Ryder had grabbed Reyes by his arm, pulling him behind another rock.

“You good?”, he asked and cursed when a bullet hit the rock mere centimetres above his head.

“I will be once I put a bullet to his head”

Scott shot him a quick sideway glanced, then nodded once. “Got it. Push forward, I’ll cover you”

They managed to reach higher ground within a few minutes, there weren’t a lot of Wolf’s people left. At the back of the cave, the stone opened and you could see nothing but white snow. A few crates and ice covered rocks was all the cover they had, together with the stone pillars reaching to the ceiling as if holding it up like giant arms. In front of the opening, two shuttles waited and it took him some seconds to spot Wolf, obviously trying to reach them.

Reyes cursed and ducked behind the icy rock. Ryder and him were pinned down by two sniper, as soon as one of them tried peeping out of cover, a bullet followed. His heart faltered a tad, when he saw Wolf getting closer to the shuttles.

“He’s getting away”, Reyes shouted, leaving cover.

“No, Reyes wait- Fuck” Scott’s voice got lost in the sound of gunfire.

A bullet hit the armor on his arm, the dull pain joining the general aching of his body. Another bruise, it wouldn’t stand out. Luckily, the armor kept it from piercing through him. He ducked behind one of the stone pillars, swearing. He fired some shots in the general direction the bullets came flying from then continued running.

If he was fast enough-

He got tackled to the ground and Reyes was already about to shoot his attacker, when he recognized the armor the guy was wearing.

“You’re getting yourself killed!”, Scott yelled.

“If you let him get away I’ll-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence, a Krogan slammed into them both, sending them flying through the air. He hit the ground while Ryder crashed into the crate next to them and came to lay on the floor, unmoving. On impact, the air got knocked out Reyes’ lungs. He winced, by now it felt like each rib was broken at least twice. The Krogan broke down a few feet away from Reyes, Drack had shot him. Reyes got to his feet, running over to Scott, who still wasn’t fucking moving and turned him around. He was unconscious but alive. He let his breath out in relief.

“Drack!”, Reyes yelled over his shoulder.

“Got it, I cover him. Go get him”

Reyes shot a last glance to Scott, before getting to his feet. He’d be alright.

He spotted Wolf taking cover behind a crate way closer to the damned shuttle than he would have liked. It took him only a few seconds to determine what to do.

If he managed to skip the detours the rocks forced him to take, he could probably reach the Shuttle before Wolf did. If he hurried, if he could get there before Wolf left cover... Cora and Skat had him pinned down for now and he hoped they could hold their position for a bit longer.

He made a run for it. Climbing over those blasted rocks was more difficult than he had hoped and he had to keep himself from letting out any pained sounds. He could barely lift his arm above his head anymore, nevermind putting some weight onto it. But somehow he managed, concentrating on keeping most of his weight on his feet and his right arm. He was about 20 metres away from the shuttles, when two of Wolf’s minions came from the right, forcing Cora and Skat to give up their position. Wolf used that to fall back. He swore, Wolf was nearly there and he could see one of the shuttles already starting their engine. He quickened his pace.

A bullet pierced right through Wolf’s leg, the healthy one, bringing him to fall. Puzzled, Reyes froze in his track. He looked back, spotting Ryder covering behind a crate, sniper rifle in hand. He was too far away to see the expression on his face, but he imagined it to be a satisfied one.

Reyes had more than enough time now to make it worthwhile. He took his helmet of, he wanted to look in that bastard’s eyes when he finished him. Now limping on both legs, Wolf had trouble getting forward. When Reyes stepped out of the shadows, standing between him and his way out, Wolf stopped. The man couldn’t react fast enough as Reyes put a bullet to his arm. With a shout, Wolf dropped his weapon. It scattered away enough for Reyes to kick it in unreachable distance for the man.

“Reyes”, he said, his voice collected, controlled. As if he wasn’t the one unarmed. Oh, he hated that grin even as it looked slightly less confident than usual. “To be honest, I’d have hoped you to be more considerate. After all, going against me didn’t work well for you in the past, did it? Or did you like it in the end after all?” For a second it was exactly what Wolf intended: Reyes flinched back, the words hit him like a fist in his stomach. Wolf’s cold eyes burned themselves into his soul and he felt his throat close up. He felt frozen into place and Wolf made a jump for his weapon. Luckily, rage took over. Reyes grabbed his gun tighter and shot him in his healthy leg, again. Wolf let out a pained howl, his knee hit the ground hard. “Bastard”, Wolf pressed through gritted teeth, his hand pressing against the bleeding.

Reyes tilted his head. “Oh did I do that? Pure accident. Promise”

Wolf sucked in some ragged breaths before he looked up. “Okay, the provocation was uncalled for, I apologize. Listen, I surrender. Bring me to your bloody Initiative”, Wolf hold up both his hands in defeat.

Reyes pointed his gun at the other man’s face. “I am not Initiative”

“But I surrender!”, he called out and the desperation in his voice was sweet music.

Reyes forced out a humourless laugh. “Sorry, I am not the good guy here”

He shot. Then he shot again. He shot and shot and shot, both hands on the weapon, his jaw clenched, his shoulders tight. He was unable to stop. If he just shot him often enough, the pain he was so aware of right now would go away, the tightness in his chest would go away. All of this would go away, he would be _fine._

Blood hit his face, he didn’t care. Reyes kept shooting until his magazine was empty. As he reached for another, Ryder's hand carefully touched his arm. He didn’t notice him approaching.

“That's enough Reyes. He's dead”

“Let me go!”, he snapped and yanked his arm away.

It wasn't enough, didn't feel like enough, he could still feel all those things he didn't want to feel. He could almost taste the other's blood, the air was heavy with the scent of it.

“Reyes stop” Scott shoved himself into his vision field. His hands came up to cup Reyes’ face, forcing him to look at Ryder. “Stop”

Reyes shook, his hands grabbed Ryder's wrists.

“It's okay, Babe. You're okay, that Bastard's dead. Calm down”, Scott tried to sooth him, gently pressing their foreheads together.

“F-Fuck”, Reyes forced out through gritted teeth. He pressed his eyes shut, trying to regain some control over himself.

When he shaking finally calmed down, Ryder kissed him on his forehead. “Come on. Let's get you out of here”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, especially for sticking by and biting through the dark parts!  
> I'd actually like to continue their story. Just not sure yet whether I'll be adding one or two chapters here (for a fluffier ending, you know) or if I should leave it at that and put everything that comes after they left the cave extra.  
> Feel free to share your thoughts on that one!


End file.
